The present invention is directed to a drive system, and in particular a swivel drive system and vehicles employing such a swivel drive system.
Conventional drive systems provide motive force in directions collinear with the rolling orientation of wheels or tracks associated with the drive system. Such systems are employed on numerous forms of vehicles, including industrial equipment. In such systems the vehicle will typically have a front, back and side orientations, where movement is limited to proceeding in directions corresponding to the front and/or back of the vehicle. The vehicles, therefore, must be aligned in the direction in which travel is desired, which can pose difficulties for operating in constricted settings.